Solar Orbiter Captures First Images of Sun's South Pole

In a groundbreaking achievement, the European Space Agency's (ESA) Solar Orbiter mission has captured the first-ever images of the Sun's south pole, offering unprecedented insights into the star's complex magnetic dynamics. These pioneering observations, taken in March 2025 and released in June, reveal a chaotic magnetic field at the Sun's south pole, with both north and south polarity fields present—a phenomenon occurring during the solar maximum phase of the Sun's 11-year activity cycle. This discovery is poised to significantly enhance our understanding of the solar cycle and improve predictions of space weather events that can impact Earth.

Launched on February 10, 2020, Solar Orbiter is a collaborative mission between ESA and NASA designed to perform close-up studies of the Sun and its inner heliosphere. The spacecraft's primary objectives include understanding the Sun's magnetic field, the solar cycle, and the origins of the solar wind.

By February 2025, Solar Orbiter had adjusted its orbit to achieve a 17-degree inclination relative to the solar equator, enabling direct observation of the Sun's poles. This unique vantage point was achieved through gravity-assist maneuvers around Venus, allowing the spacecraft to tilt its orbit out of the ecliptic plane.

The groundbreaking observations were made possible by three of Solar Orbiter's scientific instruments:

• Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager (PHI): Captured images of the Sun in visible light and mapped the magnetic field at its surface.
• Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI): Provided images of the solar atmospheric layers above the photosphere, offering insights into the corona.
• Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment (SPICE): Performed extreme ultraviolet imaging spectroscopy to remotely characterize plasma properties of the Sun's on-disk corona.

These instruments revealed a complex and chaotic magnetic field at the Sun's south pole, with both north and south polarity magnetic fields present—a phenomenon occurring during the solar maximum phase of the Sun's 11-year activity cycle.

This achievement marks a significant advancement in solar physics, offering new perspectives on the Sun's behavior and its magnetic dynamics. The findings are expected to enhance our understanding of the solar cycle and improve predictions of space weather events that can impact Earth.

Solar Orbiter is set to continue increasing its orbital inclination, aiming to reach 33 degrees by 2029. This will enable even more detailed observations of the Sun's poles, furthering our understanding of solar phenomena.

"We didn’t know what exactly to expect from these first observations – the Sun’s poles are literally terra incognita," said Prof. Sami Solanki of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research. "Today we reveal humankind’s first-ever views of the Sun’s pole," added Prof. Carole Mundell, ESA's Director of Science.

These themes can guide a comprehensive exploration of Solar Orbiter's mission, its recent achievements, and the broader implications for solar physics and space weather prediction.